Popular Mechanics for the Broken Hearted
by BrokenWings00
Summary: Oneshot, RS. Starfire and Robin discuss Starfire's jealousy of Raven after the episode The Prophecy.


This takes place sometime between The Prophecy and The End part 1. I got the basic idea after the episode Birthmark aired. Over at the R/S Shrine, everyone was freaking out because of alleged Rob/Rae fluff. I wasn't worried, personally. Their relationship is obviously strictly platonic. Brother, sister. But I figured I should somehow make them all feel better with something like this. However, I forgot about it until yesterday. My bad. So here it is! Ehehe...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans. But does anyone really, like, own anything? Dude?

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**Popular Mechanics for the Broken-Hearted**

The door of the roof opened. Starfire turned around to find Robin standing in the doorway, looking curiously in her direction. She smiled a little.

"Good evening, Robin," she said warmly.

"Hey, Star," he replied. "What are you doing up here?"

Starfire gestured back at the western sky. "I was watching the sunset," she said simply. "Do you wish to join me?"

"I was actually looking for Raven," he admitted. Starfire's face fell. She turned her back on him.

"Very well, I will see you later," she said, trying to sound off-handed. However, Robin noticed an uncharacteristic stiffness in her voice. Curious, he sat down beside her.

"I could always look for Raven later," he said, smiling at her. She forced a half-hearted smile and continued watching the sun sink below the horizon. The two of them sat in silence for some time. Starfire's gaze never left the sky, but Robin found himself watching her. She seemed to notice, but ignored it. Robin was confused. She acted as though everything was normal, but he sensed she was holding some tension against him. At long last, Starfire broke the silence.

"You have been paying quite a lot of attention to Raven lately," she stated despondently.

There were about a thousand things Robin had expected she might say, and that certainly wasn't one of them. He raised an eyebrow. "Of course I have," he replied defensively. "After what she's been through, all of us have."

"Yes, but you have been particularly vigilant in making sure you always know where she is and whether or not she is okay," Starfire countered. There was an edge to her voice that Robin had never heard before.

_Wait,_ he thought suddenly. _I have heard it before. Whenever someone mentions that crazy Kitten girl she sounds just like this._ His eyes widened when he realized the implications of that particular situation.

"Starfire," he began doubtfully. "Are you jealous?"

Starfire's eyes widened and she blushed fiercely. She shot a dangerous glare at him. "Of course not!" she said hastily.

Any normal boy would have found it flattering that Starfire was jealous of another girl over him. But Robin, being the over-obsessed team leader that he was, felt anger rising in him. How could Starfire be so selfish? Especially after all of the trauma Raven had been through lately! Raven was like a sister to him. She had been pushed to her limits by the prophecy that was said to destroy the world, and all Starfire was thinking about was how much attention Robin was giving her.

"How could you be jealous of Raven?" he asked incredulously. Starfire's blush deepened, but her eyes softened and she seemed to shrink before his anger. "She's been through so many terrible things in the past few weeks!" Robin's anger vanished, however, when he looked at Starfire. She was staring at her feet, eyes downcast. She had pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. She was no longer blushing.

"I am aware of the hardships Raven has gone through, Robin," Starfire replied very quietly, her voice trembling slightly. "And I have tried not to feel this way, because I know I am being selfish. I would like to explain, but that would just be an excuse. I understand if you wish to go. I am sure Raven would enjoy your company."

"Starfire, I can't just leave you here like this," Robin said quietly. He felt terrible for causing Starfire to react like this. She was kind and gentle and always thought of others before herself. She didn't deserve this. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have gotten angry like that. Please, tell me what's bothering you."

She glanced up at him, and for a moment it looked as though she was about to cry, but she looked back down quickly and sighed. "When we were fighting Slade to protect Raven, you took so many risks, Robin," she began quietly. "I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Robin asked worriedly.

"I was afraid that… that…" she trailed off, still staring at her feet. Then, as Robin watched, she closed her eyes in a pained sort of way. "That I would lose you!" she shouted, smothering the beginnings of tears against her knees.

For the second time that evening, Starfire said something he had not anticipated. Maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought. He was seeing new levels of her personality. Her emotions weren't all at the surface, no matter how hard she tried to convince the others that they were. She was hiding things from them. Her fears, her worries, her nightmares- they all seemed centered around one person: Robin himself.

"Starfire-" he began in bewilderment, but she cut him off. Her voice was muffled by her knees, and she sounded like she was fighting valiantly to keep herself from crying.

"I am such a terrible person, Robin," she ranted. "I was so worried about you, but in the back of my mind, I wondered if…" She paused and took a shuddering breath. Her shoulders were shaking. "If you would take all of those risks for me, too."

"Star, of co-" Robin began again, but she pressed on.

"I knew I should not have thought such a thing, it was so selfish and low. I was disgusted with myself. Then, when the fight was over and we began making preparations for the day of the prophecy, I wondered if you would go to such great lengths to protect me," she stopped again, breathing quickly and raggedly. "I could not believe I had thought such a thing. Raven was in great danger, and I was thinking only of myself. But after that, I noticed something change between us."

Robin froze. So that was what had been bothering him. Starfire rarely talked to him anymore, and she seemed to be distancing herself from him. He couldn't figure out why, but he was about to find out.

"Whenever I was with you, you were talking about Raven or looking for Raven or wondering where Raven was and what Raven was doing. And though I tried not to, I became agitated. So I thought it would be best to avoid you in case I made a mistake and told you how I felt."

She lifted her head a few inches and Robin could just barely see her eyes. She still refused to look at him.

"I have a confession to make, Robin," she began quietly, her voice still muffled. "I had never really noticed before, but I had always considered myself to be… well… yours." Robin's eyes widened slightly and he blushed in a pleased sort of way, but Starfire didn't notice. She had hidden her eyes again. "You found me, I absorbed the English language through your lips," Robin blushed more when she said that, "You gave me a home and a family. You are my best friend. And I have been hiding my deeper feelings for you for a very long time. With all of that combined, I automatically belonged to you. But lately, I have begun to doubt this arrangement."

Robin was having trouble digesting what he was hearing. Starfire had just admitted so many things to him, the least of which was that she considered him to be her knight in shining armor, and the most of which was that she had feelings for him. He had waited so long for her to say that, but this wasn't exactly what he had envisioned. He'd had dreams about it before. Of course, in those dreams she wasn't crying. He wanted to say something, anything, but he hadn't found his voice quite yet.

"We were drifting apart. I spent a lot of time alone, and I would think. Mostly about you. I realized something after a short while. Maybe it was just a crazy dream and we would never… I… I was not really yours at all. I never had been. You and Raven are much better suited for each other," she sighed in distress and continued morosely. "You have much in common. You both hide your emotions, you are both strong in resolve, you both enjoy solitude, you have known each other for a very long time…" She sighed again. "And I am just an ignorant alien girl who wears her heart on her sleeve."

Starfire finally looked up at him. The way she looked at him made him want to take her up in his arms and never let go. It was heart-breaking to see her like this.

"Knowing that you would always be so close but I could never have you…" she closed her eyes. "It was devastating. But I will not interfere with your relationship with Raven. You deserve to be happy."

Robin's mind was reeling. He didn't know what to think, let alone say or do. She was saying such terrible things about herself… and none of it was true. She was most definitely not a terrible person, far from it in fact. She wasn't perfect, but she wouldn't be Starfire if she was. He wouldn't love her if she was.

"Star-" he began, reaching toward her. But she recoiled from him, backing across the roof.

"Stop!" she said firmly, closing her eyes. "Do not come any closer! I do not want your comfort or sympathy. I know you, Robin. You will just lay your hand on my shoulder and tell me everything will be alright, and that is the very reason why I cannot seem to get you out of my head! You are too wonderful, Robin!"

Robin, to say the least, was surprised. He could only stare at her in shock. She stopped moving when there were a good five feet between them. Starfire sighed and resumed staring at her shoes. "Please, just stop being so kind to me. Stop caring about me. It will make it easier for both of us," she said dejectedly.

"Starfire," he stammered quietly. "I… I'm…" He didn't have a clue what he was going to say next. But by some miracle, he got an idea.

"I'm disappointed."

Starfire didn't respond.

"You actually thought I had feelings for someone besides you."

Starfire froze. She looked up in disbelief to find Robin right in front of her. He was smiling. "What?" she whispered, sure she must have been hearing things.

"I've always considered you to be mine, and I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied, pulling her against him in a gentle hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, inhaling deeply to calm herself. She pulled back a little, however, after a few seconds.

"But…" she began, looking questioningly at Robin. "You and Raven-"

"Raven is like a sister to me," Robin said firmly. "And I'm like her brother. It's always been that way. We care for each other as family and friends, nothing more. You, however, are a different story." He smirked and pulled her back toward him. "I care for you as much more than a friend or a sister. I wish I had told you earlier. Then you wouldn't have gone through all of that emotional pain."

"Do not blame yourself, Robin," Starfire sighed contentedly as she grew more comfortable against his chest. "I should not have jumped to such conclusions. It was not my place to issue such an ultimatum."

"Stop putting yourself down like that," Robin replied. "You don't deserve that. You aren't doing yourself justice."

"But I-" she began to quietly protest, but he stopped her by pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes widened, but she didn't pull away. Her eyes eventually slid closed, once the shock had worn off, and she moved herself a little closer. However, they both needed to breathe, so they had to pull apart at some point. Starfire didn't argue again, she merely smiled.

"Very well," she whispered. "I shall not put myself down."

"Good," he replied, satisfied. "Do you feel better now?"

"Do you really need to ask?"


End file.
